1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to television receivers and more particularly to large screen, projection type television systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Projection, or large screen, television has been around for many years. A reason behind the interest in large screen television is that many people feel that a conventional television picture, usually measuring no more than 25 inches on the diagonal, is simply not large enough for truly enjoyable viewing, and would prefer a projection television system having a viewing screen size ranging upwardly from 40 inches on the diagonal.
There are at least three systems in current use which project a large television image upon a screen. The first, and technologically least complicated, system utilizes a lens system to magnify the image produced by a standard television C.R.T. and to project the magnified image upon a viewing screen. Examples of such systems are found in the disclosures of E. Muntz in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,943,282 and 4,058,837 and of A. Cammilleri in U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,322. Projection televisions of this type have the advantage of being considerably less expensive than other types of projection television systems.
A second type of projection television system utilizes three separate nonstandard C.R.T.'s to produce a relatively bright image upon a viewing screen. Systems such as these have a red tube, a green tube and a blue tube to project separate red, green and blue images which merge together into a single color image at the viewing screen.
While three-tube systems produce a brighter image than the lens and standard C.R.T. systems, they are also considerably more expensive. Furthermore, three-tube systems often require the unit housing the three nonstandard C.R.T.'s to be separated from the viewing screen by a considerable distance.
Thirdly, there is an oil-film type of television projection system which utilizes a thin, transluscent film of oil capable of creating a television image. Extremely high intensity colored lights are directed through the oil films to produce a superbright television image upon a viewing screen. Oil-film projection televisions are extremely expensive, often costing many tens of thousands of dollars, and are usually reserved for large scale applications such as as within football stadiums or large municipal auditoriums.
Thus, for home use, a consumer is usually economically constrained to the purchase of one of the first two mentioned type of systems. Unfortunately, even these less expensive systems can cost thousands of dollars. A problem the prior art apparently has not addressed is how to produce an attractive, inexpensive large screen television system capable of producing a high quality picture.
A further problem that the prior art has not addressed is how to efficiently store and ship a large screen television system. A review of the prior art finds that large screen televisions almost universally include bulky, hard to ship cabinets.
Inexpensive large screen television systems could also be useful for business purposes. For example, persons or organizations who put on seminars or who participate in trade shows could make use of the graphic cabablities of a large screen system in their presentation. To be truly useful, however, the system would have to be easily and quickly assemblable and disassemblable so that it could be shipped, handled, stored and moved with a minimum of effort. No known large screen system meets these requirements.